VCU vs SKMC (posting on behalf of someone)

Hello! I’m trying to decide between VCU School of Medicine and Sidney Kimmel Medical College (so so excited and grateful!) and would really appreciate any input. For context, I’m a Virginia resident, my family is in Virginia Beach, and I have a lot of friends in the Washington, D.C. area. I like the idea of living in a bigger city, but I’m not very familiar with Philadelphia yet. I don’t have a specific specialty set yet, but I’d like to keep competitive specialties open. I’m also interested in things like medical Spanish programs, global health, and working with underserved communities. Another important note: I haven’t received financial aid packages from either school yet.

VCU SOM Pros:

- In-state tuition

- Located in Richmond, ~1.5 hours from my family

- Pre-clinical curriculum is Pass/Fail

- Class size ~216 students

- ~99% residency match rate

VCU SOM Cons

- Smaller city compared to Philadelphia

- Fewer nearby academic medical institutions compared with a major hub like Philly

- Might feel a little too close to home

- I’m not sure how many structured opportunities for medical Spanish or global health there are

SKMC (Jefferson) Pros

- Philadelphia is a large medical hub with many hospitals and research institutions

- Pre-clinical years are Pass/Fail-

- Class size ~270 students

- Opportunities related to urban medicine, global health, and underserved care

- Established Medical Spanish program + global health opportunities

SKMC (Jefferson) Cons

- Private tuition (still waiting on financial aid package — would especially love insight from students about this)

- Further from family (~5 hour drive), though this is similar to how far my undergrad was

- I’m less familiar with the city

- slightly lower match rate ~97% (though idk how much this matters, still seems fire to me)

What I’m Trying to Weigh

- Cost (in-state vs private — still waiting on financial aid)

- Public vs private school in general

- Whether being in a larger academic hub like Philadelphia matters for research or keeping competitive specialties open

If anyone has experiences with either school, I’d especially love to hear about:

- Student culture at VCU vs Jefferson

- Any internal ranking systems

- Living in Richmond vs Philadelphia as a med student -

- Any general thoughts about choosing between the two

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Thanks so much!